Nobody Wants To Be Lonely
by Brookebynature
Summary: Nobody wants to be lonelySo why, why don't you let me love you?A BrookeLucas POV about why you should act on your feelings. 2parter COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Nobody Wants To Be Lonely**

Part 1 of 2

"Nobody wants to be lonely"

That's the song I was listening to when I was sat in my room in California during Summer break. Well it's obvious that nobody wants to be lonely, but I was always used to being surrounded by people. I wasn't used to the whole 'being on your own for quality reflection time' thing. I just don't know how Lucas managed it.

Lucas. That name plays over and over in my head. Since he kissed me-a kiss full of passion and need, I haven't been able to think of anything else. He knew what effect that would have on me.

I've been through so many stages. Upset, angry, regret, but the stage that I'm in now, and have been for days, is being in love. And I'm angry at him for doing this to me, because it's all I can think about. He's all I can think about, and it's practically killing me.

I thought California would be a new start. Not just for me, but for everyone. My parents, Lucas, Peyton. But it didn't turn out like that. My parents never spend any time with me. I don't even know why I thought things would change, just because we moved to a different state. I thought that being away from Lucas would help me forget about him, but that kiss we shared destroyed any chance of that. I miss having Peyton around to talk stupid nonsense.

_**There you are, in a darkened room**_

_**And you're all alone, looking out the window**_

_**Your heart is cold and lost the will to love**_

_**Like a broken arrow**_

_**Here I stand in the shadows**_

I sit here and think about Brooke everyday. Everyday that she's been gone is another day that my life has felt empty. This room means nothing to me now. There's no 'Brooke' left in it. All of her things have gone, the only thing I have left is the grey hoody that she likes wearing so much. Her sweet perfume is still lingering on the material, so I clutch it next to me, almost like a security blanket.

I'm listening to the radio and I'm getting lost in the song which is playing. What if she's sat alone in her room? What if her parents aren't trying to have a relationship with Brooke? What if she's loosing the will to live?

I need to make sure she's o.k, but I don't know how to find her. She didn't write or phone when she got there. She emailed Peyton, but that's it. Nobody knows where she is, and California is such a big place. I think I can safely rule out the poorer areas though. Brooke would only be living in the biggest house with the best view because…..well, that was Brooke.

_**Nobody wants to be lonely**_

_**Nobody wants to cry**_

_**My body's longing to hold you**_

_**So bad it hurts inside**_

_**Time is precious and it's slipping away**_

_**And I've been waiting for you all of my life**_

_**Nobody wants to be lonely**_

**_So why, why don't you let me love you?_**

I know the answer to that last part. She won't let me love her because she's petrified that she'll get hurt again. I can't forgive myself for what I did, because it practically broke Brooke. I was selfish and I thought that there was something better in Peyton, but I realised how much I actually loved Brooke. As soon as I saw her after Peyton and I did what we did, I wished I could take it back.

When I saw what it had done to her, I wanted to disappear, in the hope that it would make things easier for her. I could see the pain in her eyes when she saw me and pretended that she hadn't. I was so proud of her at the cheerleading competition, and I wished I could have shared the experience with her the way that Nathan and Haley did, but I blew it, and I'm amazed at the fact that she has been able to forgive me and become friends.

But friends isn't enough. I feel too strongly about her to ever be 'just friends'.

_**Can you hear my voice, do you hear my song**_

**_It's a seranade, so your heart can find me,_**

_**And suddenly you're flying down the stairs**_

_**Into my arms**_

The way we left things back in Tree Hill was probably the worst way we could have done it. I hate him for making me feel like this all Summer when I'm supposed to be out having fun. But then I still love him. I never stopped, and I tried to bury my feelings just like I'd always done.

I wish he knew what I was feeling now, I wish he knew that I need him to come get me, to make everything o.k again.

I look through the doorway at the stairs twisting around the entrance hall, almost expecting Lucas to come, but after staring for what seems like hours, I give up, realising that he won't find me because he doesn't even know where I am.

He hurt me more than anyone has ever hurt me before, but I know he's sorry and that he didn't mean to hurt me in the way he did. I just don't know whether I could trust him fully again. I don't want to ever feel like that, because at times I felt like I couldn't go on. The only guy who I'd ever loved, who I'd ever felt anything for, cared about, had made a fool of me. I was embarrassed because I'd always felt like I wasn't good enough for him, and when Lucas cheated in me, it confirmed my feelings.

_**I wanna feel you need me**_

_**Just like the air you're breathing**_

My eyes are stinging with tears the more I think about her. Maybe, just maybe, she's listening to this song too, and she's thinking the same thing about me.

I couldn't let her go to California without telling her how I felt. I thought that if I did that, then she might stay, give me a second chance, but it didn't happen.

I look at my computer and then at my wallet on the shelf by my desk. I know I have enough money for a plane ticket to California, and nobody needs me here. My mom is with Andy in New Zealand, Keith still hasn't come home, so it wouldn't matter if I left.

_**Breathing, I need you here in my life**_

I do need him here in my life. No matter how much I've tried to convince myself and other people that I don't, I can't deny it any more. He changed me in the way that I needed. He made me see that there's more to life than parties. He helped me live a real life, not some fake existence that I lived to make myself feel better.

Once you open your heart like that to someone, you can't just go back to how you were, not if that person really meant something to you in the way that Lucas did with me.

That's it. The ticket's booked. I have to be at North Carolina airport in 2 hours. Just enough time for me to pack a few things in my bag, making sure that I have my grey hoody on. The comfort from Brooke's smell would be enough on its own to get me through the flight without freaking out.

I have enough money left over for a taxi, and to call god knows how many numbers to see if I can find out where she is.

_**Don't walk away, don't walk away**_

**_Don't walk away, don't walk away_**

There's no way that I'm walking away from her now. If I find her, I'll never let her go until she knows just how much she means to me.

_**Nobody wants to be lonely**_

**_Nobody wants to cry_**

_**My body's longing to hold you **_

**_So bad it hurts inside_**

_**Time is precious and it's slipping away**_

_**And I've been waiting for you all of my life**_

_**Nobody wants to be lonely**_

**_So why, why don't you let me love you?_**

I look at my clock, realising that I've spent all morning crying over Lucas and looking out of the window, hoping that he'll come find me and tell me that everything's o.k.

He's not going to come, and I have to realise that. It's my own fault for not telling him where I was staying, or what my number was. My gaze turns to my computer. I could send him an email, not telling him where I am, but I would if he asked. I could tell him what California is like, and what I've been doing. (I guess I'll have to lie for that one. He's not gonna expect me to say that I've moped around hoping that he would come)

So the song's ended, and now they're playing some upbeat record that would normally get me up and dancing wildly, but that was when I was back in Tree Hill. Things certainly weren't easier or simpler back there, but I felt better, safe. I had Lucas back in Tree Hill, and out here, I have no one.

I've landed in California and it's so hot! Way hotter than Tree Hill in the Summer. The place is so beautiful, I can see why Brooke hasn't come home. I think about it for a minute, and then realise that maybe this is her home now. I don't blame her if she's staying. She'd get a peaceful time, no drama and lots of sun. Everything she deserves.

I'm really not sure where to start, but after getting my bag from luggage reclaim I can get something to eat and then start phoning numbers I guess.

I've sent Lucas an email, but he's not online, which is weird because his computer is always on. I start to think about the time when I walked into his room and saw him and Peyton on the webcam. That's the moment I realised that he didn't feel the same way about me that I did about him, and it hurt me so bad that the one guy I wanted, didn't want me back.

I have to stop myself from thinking about that moment every time I see Lucas and Peyton together. It still hurts, and I guess it always will.

I'm going to take a shower to make myself look a bit better. My face is tear-stained and puffy, but not once has anybody heard me cry. I make sure I let the tears fall silently in case the maid or the gardener hear me. There's no chance of my parents hearing me, because they're never here.

As I let the warm water wash over me, I think about all of the times when Lucas and I showered together to 'save water' as I put it. I'd never felt so at ease with anyone as I did when I was in his arms. There was just something about the way that he held me which was so soothing and comforting.

I'd give practically anything to be back in his arms right now. If I hadn't left a few weeks ago, then we would be together right now, doing god knows what, but it would have been fun and made both of us laugh.

A smile plays on my face as I think about what we used to do together. We always did something crazy and stupid, but it made me feel so alive and happy. When I was with Lucas, I didn't have to put on an act, a fake smile, a fake laugh to convince other people and myself that I was happy. I was always happy when I was with him.

I've rung loads of numbers and finally I've got 4 addresses scribbled down on a bit of paper.

One in Laguna Beach, one in Long Beach, one in Beverly Hills and one in Manhattan Beach. I've decided to start in that order because Laguna Beach is the closest. Somehow, it just doesn't sound like Brooke would live in Long Beach or Manhattan Beach. There's just something about he names that don't make me instantly think of Brooke. Each time I look at Beverly Hills on the piece of paper, it's where I can imagine Brooke living. A big house with a pool and a hot tub.

Every time I see a hot tub, or think about it, or even hear the word, I think back to the time we 'borrowed' some random person's hot tub to make out in. Brooke was so full of life that day, well she was pretty much all the time, but there was something about her that day which always makes me smile. The look on her face, the way she took off her clothes, not afraid to let me see her naked.

That was the thing I loved about Brooke when I was with her. She didn't care what anyone thought, or what they said. But now, she lives her life cautiously, the sparkle in her eyes has dulled a bit. It's still there, but it's not as obvious, and I have a feeling that I did that to her too.

Wincing when I see the faire on the cab meter, I go back to looking out of the window, not even needing to convince myself that Brooke is worth all of this money, because I know she is.

My wardrobe doesn't have the same appeal to me any more. I used to love picking out an outfit when I was dating Lucas. I always wanted to impress him, make him feel proud to be seen with me, but now I don't have anyone to impress, I just don't really care much.

Still, I take time in deciding what I'm going to wear, and finally decide on a shortish stoned-coloured skirt, khaki green tank top and khaki flip flops. Maybe some sunbathing would do me some good.

Well Brooke didn't live at the first address, so I'm trying Long Beach now. The area isn't as nice as the one in Laguna, but I've seen a giant mall that I'm sure Brooke would love.

The house is right on the beach, but it doesn't look like the kind of house where Brook would live. It's just not fancy enough-it's a simple beach house, and Brooke doesn't do 'simple'

I laugh to myself thinking of what she would say about this house.

"_A pool is a must ya know Broody" _That's what she had said to me when I first saw her swimming pool.

Just imaging her smile with the dimples either side of her lips, and her laugh which always made me laugh too, brings a huge smile to my face.

I knock on the door, but as soon as I see who answers it, I know that Brooke doesn't live there. The woman says she's never heard of Brooke Davis, so I get back into the cab, ready to try the third address. Something tells me this is more likely than any of the others.

Brooke Davis, Beverly Hills sounds right.

I look around my room, surveying the mess that is my life. Clothes are scattered all over the floor and the curtains have been shut for days. I do love this room though. It's so pretty, but you can't really see past all the mess.

I've decided I'm going to tidy it up a bit, make it a bit more like my room back in Tree Hill. This room will never be as good as that one, but I guess I can at least make it look presentable.

As the cab is driving past all of the houses in Beverly Hills, I can imagine Brooke living in a place like this. Everything is so neat and orderly, and every house has a pool.

We stop at the address which I have written down. The house is enormous, and I ring the doorbell, my hands starting to sweat with anticipation. As soon as the door opens, my heart drops. A guy about my age answers, wearing only swim shorts. I'm kind of relieved when he says that Brooke doesn't live here, but then he says he's never heard of her.

Surely if Brooke lived here, people would have heard of her. It's not like her to live a quiet life.

I get back into the cab, ready to try the last address. This is costing me almost all of my money, but if I find Brooke, it will be worth it.

Just as we are about to turn the corner, a house catches my eye. It's huge and very ornate. I tell the cab to turn back, so I can get a better look. As we get nearer I can see there's a pool in the back yard. But my heart leaps when I see the house close up. It has a red door.

My room now looks how it did when I first moved in. Everything is neat, well everything in the room is neat apart from me. My life is a mess, and I've tried to do so much to cover up the fact. I've tried to loose myself in cleaning or shopping, but I can't. The beach just makes me think of Lucas. The time when he came back from Charlotte when Peyton and I were on the beach. I saw him standing there and I just wanted to run to him, I wanted him to hold me and kiss me and tell me everything was going to be o.k. But I didn't do it. I hid my feelings again, and now I'm standing here regretting every minute of it.

I head downstairs to the back yard to sunbathe but I'm stopped by the door bell. At least when I answer it I'll look presentable. I look down at my outfit, thinking if anything, I actually look kinda hot. I shake the thought out of my head and make my way to the door, setting my towel on the sofa in the entrance hall.

I open the door and see grey.

There she is, standing there looking shy, but as beautiful as ever. Her hair is wet and wavy, and I can smell the perfume that is faint on my hoody. She tries to force a smile but I can see the tears in her eyes. The hurt, the pain, the disappointment.

He's stood here at my door in that grey hoody I've always love so much. His hair has grown over the past few weeks and I can see that he's really tanned. I'm not sure what to think, but it's certainly not what I expected. I can feel the tears pricking in my eyes, and I give him a strained smile. He knows I'm faking it because he's looking at me in that way-pleading with me to show him how I really feel.

She opens the door widely, wiping at her face with the back of her hand when she thinks I'm not watching. My heart lurches, and I whisper that I have to pay the cab driver.

She waits at the door while I hand him most of my money and take my bag from the car. I'm not expecting to stay at Brooke's, I can get a hotel room, but I don't want to waste any time that I have with her.

I watch as Lucas pays the cab driver the fare, and then hands him a tip. He's always been generous like that. He turns around and gives me one of his 'brooding' looks and I can't help but smile. In return, he smiles back and jogs up the steps to my front door.

"_I see you have a red door" Lucas laughed_

"_Yeah" Brooke smiled. She didn't want reminding of her life back in Tree Hill, but she insisted that her parents get someone to paint the door red._

"_So I'm sorry about turning up here unannounced, but I just wanted to make sure you were o.k"_

_Brooke gave him a grateful smile. So he did care, and he wanted to know if she was o.k._

"_So Broody, you gonna come in or are you just gonna stand out there all day?" she said, using her deep whisper-voice that Lucas loved. He went inside of the house and Brooke shut the door, walking ahead of him to grab her towel off the couch. _

"_I was just going to do some sunbathing, you wanna come join me or do you want something to eat?" Brooke asked._

"_No I'm fine-I ate at the airport, I'll just come sit outside with you if that's o.k?"_

"_Of course, although you already look really tanned, next to you, I'll look like a ghost" she laughed._

There it is. That smile that shows off her dimples, the one where her eyes sparkle, the one that makes me want to kiss her so much. It's her real smile, the one she reserves for the people she really likes. That's got to mean something?

He's all it took for me to feel happy again. Lucas and sunbathing. Who'd have thought something so simple would have made my life so much better in a matter of seconds?

_Lucas looked around the room in awe. Her house back in Tree Hill had been nice, but he'd never seen anything like this before._

"_Broody, you're really gonna have to stop all this... well... brooding" Brooke laughed. "Come on" _

_She dragged him outside of the house to the back yard, which of course had a huge pool and was landscaped to perfection._

"_Brooke, your house is amazing" Lucas said, looking around as if to find some more suprises. Brooke giggled, but then her face turned sad._

"_It's not amazing when there's nobody here to make it happy"_

So obviously she wasn't happy here. Her parents weren't in, and it didn't look like they spent much time here. She had put that fake smile back on her face, which I don't like. It didn't show her dimples and her nose didn't wrinkle up like it did if she was being herself.

The sun was really hot, and I could see why she was wearing such a skimpy outfit. Not that weather ever stopped Brooke from wearing what she wanted. I took off the hoody, glad that I'd brought it with me, and threw it down by the sun loungers.

Wow, he really was tanned. He'd obviously been working out because I could see the muscles under his shirt. He really did look hot. I felt that familiar smile take over my face when he did that. I knew this was my 'Lucas smile' I only smiled it when I saw him.

_What are you smiling about cheery?" Lucas asked, glad that her natural smile had returned to her face._

"_Nothing, I was just watching you that's all. You look so hot" Brooke replied, closing her eyes as she said the last part. Lucas laughed and she immediately opened them._

"_Oh my God, I said that out loud didn't I?"_

_Lucas laughed again, watching her face turn red, but the smile stayed there._

"_Well I guess that's what kind of effect I have on people"_

_Brooke's smile disappeared quickly, and Lucas mentally kicked himself for saying that. How could he have said that? Of all things to say, and he brought up Peyton._

"_Brooke, I didn't mean…"_

"_Lucas it's fine"_

_She turned away from him, laying her towel down on the sun lounger and kicking off her flip flops._

"_Did you want a towel?" she asked._

"_No It's fine, I'll just sit here" Lucas replied, sitting down by the edge of the pool and dipping his feet in the cooling water, getting his jeans wet, but not minding one bit._

"_You want a drink?" Brooke asked after a few minutes. "I'm going to get one for me"_

"_Yah, that'd be good thanks, do you want me to come help you?"_

"_I think I'm capable of getting two drinks Broody" she laughed, rolling her eyes. She walked to the house, the smile still on her face, knowing that he was watching her walk away._

She still has that effect on me. She makes me feel like I might fall over whenever she laughs or does that thing with her eyes. All this time and now we're finally seeing each other again. I wish I'd done this sooner, I can't believe it took me this long to come see her.

I can't believe he came to see me. Oh my God, and I don't have any make up on. Good thing I put that spare mascara in the kitchen drawer for emergencies such as these. Sometimes I surprise myself with the great ideas I come up with.

_Brooke poured the drinks and rooted through the freezer until she found some ice cubes. Putting them in the drink carefully so that no lemonade spilled over the side, she put the spare cubes back in the freezer._

_She looked through the drawer until she found the mascara. She pulled out the compact which was laying beside the tube, and opened it, shaking the mascara so that there wouldn't be any clumps._

_Lucas decided to go see what was taking Brooke so long just to make two drinks. He dried his feet off with his hands, not wanting to wet Brooke's towel, or his hoody, as he had only brought two other tops with him._

_He made his way to the house, taking in its beauty, knowing that his mom would love this house, although she'd probably say it was a bit much. He saw what looked like the kitchen, so he made his way towards it._

"_Hey, watcha doing?" Lucas asked, making Brooke jump_

"_Jesus Broody!" she cried, dropping her mascara brush on the floor. "I'll have a smudge all over my face now" she laughed_

"_Sorry, I just came to see what was taking you so long" Lucas laughed, looking at the black smudge underneath Brooke's eye._

"_You needn't laugh Lucas Scott! I was doing fine until she frightened me to death"_

"_Why are you putting make up on anyway?" he asked, picking up the brush off the floor._

"_Because I look hideous without it. My mom always told me that you need to wear make up when you're with a guy" she laughed._

"_Brooke..." Lucas started, moving closer towards her "You don't need to wear make up around guys, especially me. You always look beautiful"_

I'd love to shout at her mom, making Brooke think that she wasn't good enough without make up. It's made me realise why Brooke lived her life like she did before she met me. Nobody had ever told her that she didn't have to put on a front, create this false exterior to make people like her.

She always looks perfect in whatever she's wearing, at whatever time of day.

He's looking at me in that way which means he's angry about something, but not at me. He always looks so cute when he's brooding like that. He's moved so close to me that I can feel his breath on my face. He's looking at me right in the eye, and as much as it's making me uncomfortable, I can't look away.

_He reached up to wipe the mascara smudge off of her face, brushing her skin delicately with his thumb. He saw Brooke shut her eyes, letting him wipe away the blackness, and he smiled, feeling the familiar shivers that he felt whenever he touched her._

_After wiping away all traces of the make up, Lucas grabbed both of the drinks, while Brooke cleaned up the smudge on the floor and put away her things. She met him back outside after a few minutes, with a devilish grin on her face._

"_Brooke, why are you looking at me like that?" Lucas laughed, setting the two drinks down on the table in between the two sun loungers._

"_Like what Broody?" she asked innocently, the smile still on her face as she nearer Lucas. He stopped walking backwards and waited for Brooke to sit down. Instead of doing that, she grabbed hold of Lucas and pushed him into the pool, falling in herself during the process._

_Lucas could hardly keep himself afloat with laughter._

"_Your little plan didn't quite work out there cheery" he said, splashing water at her. Brooke rolled her eyes, knowing she had been defeated._

"_Well you weren't exactly that strong were you? Aren't you supposed to be this big strong basket-ball player?"_

"_Right, that's it" Lucas said as he ducked under water and swam underneath Brooke, picking her up on his shoulders as she shrieked and screamed at him to put her down._

"_Lucas Scott, put me down right now!" she shouted, pointing to the water._

"_O.k, you asked for it" Lucas laughed as he launched Brooke off his shoulders, sending her flying across the other end of the pool. She landed back in the water with a big splash._

_Brooke re-surfaced after a few seconds, coughing and spluttering, swearing that she would get Lucas back for that sometime._

_They splashed around in the pool for a while longer, both at ease with each other's company._

"_I'm going to get dried off now" Lucas said as he got out of the pool, taking off his wet shirt so that he was topless, and then grabbed Brooke's towel off the sun lounger and wrapped it around himself. Brooke followed him out of the pool, stopping when she realised that he had taken her towel._

"_Lucas! You got my towel all wet!" she shrieked "Now what am I supposed to do?"_

"_Here" he replied, holding the towel out at the front, still keeping it wrapped around his top half. Brooke rolled her eyes again, but went over to Lucas to get dried._

"_It's not going to reach if you stand that far away" he laughed. She moved closer so that their wet bodies were touching, their clothes soaked to their skin. Brooke felt herself shiver, partly from being cold, partly from the feeling of Lucas's naked chest touching her clothed one._

_Lucas felt her shiver, and moved even closer, rubbing her arms and back with his hands in an attempt to warm her up. She saw his mouth open as he moved closer to her, letting out warm breath that made her cheek feel like it was burning as it touched it._

She looks so cute standing there with her dimpled smile, her hair all wet against my skin. It's taking all my willpower not to kiss her right now. That's not my decision to make. She knows how I feel, and she wants someone who she can trust, and that's not me.

I'm sure he can feel my heart beating, it's all I can feel and hear. His mouth is so close, yet he has no intentions of coming onto me. He's been so sweet, telling me I didn't need make up, and warning me up now. I can't not kiss him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Nobody Wants to be Lonely**

Part 2 of 2

Brooke leaned in so that her lips lightly touched Lucas's, sending shivers down both of their spines. Brooke felt that giddy smile play across her face, while Lucas broke the kiss so that he could see her properly.

"Mmm Brooke, are you sure this is o.k?" Lucas asked cautiously as he put his lips back against Brooke's again. She nodded and opened her mouth wider so that she could massage Lucas's tongue with her own. He let go of the towel that he had been holding, and neither of them noticed as it fell to the ground beside them.

They stayed in the same position for a few minutes, neither of them wanting to let the moment pass. Brooke broke away, giving Lucas 'his' smile before they decided to get dried.

Brooke pulled a towel out of the closet and handed it to Lucas before pulling out another one for herself. Lucas put the towel up to his face and shut his eyes, taking in Brooke's scent.

"Hey Broody, you're never gonna get dried like that" she laughed, her eyes twinkling as she gave him a peck on his lips. Lucas laughed back and the two got dried together, Brooke not caring what parts of her that Lucas saw.

They showered together to 'save water' as Lucas suggested. Brooke laughed when he said that, remembering that's what she used to say when they were together last year.

They decided that they would have dinner at a small restaurant just near where Brooke lived, so of course this meant Brooke spending ages deciding on what to wear. Lucas had two shirts and a spare pair of trousers so after deliberating for a few minutes over which shirt to wear, he picked out the blue one, hoping that the place they were going to wasn't too fancy.

Brooke stepped out of her closet wearing jeans, flip flops and a lilac silk camisole which showed off her tanned body.

"You look amazing" Lucas said, his eyes never leaving her body.

"Thank you Broody, I have certain talents" she laughed. He couldn't help but smile at her. There was just something about her that lit up a room, something in her smile and her laugh that made him want to kiss her every time she did anything.

He couldn't help himself, and kissed her with such passion that Brooke felt her knees starting to buckle beneath her. Lucas had his hand on her back, supporting her as she kissed him back, sighing with contentment as they broke away.

"I'm not sure if I want to go now" Brooke giggled "But I guess we should feed ourselves. Your body is a temple you know Broods"

"Broods?"

"Yeah, I just thought of it. It has a nice ring to it don't ya think?" she laughed

"Anything you say has a nice ring to it" Lucas whispered quietly, but loud enough for Brooke to hear.

"O.k, well we should get going before this turns into 'mush-fest 2006'"

Lucas laughed as Brooke pulled him out of her room and down the seemingly-never ending staircase to the front door.

By the time they had gotten back to Brooke's house, the sky was black and clear so that they could see all of the stars.

"It's so beautiful out here at night" Brooke said as she leant against Lucas, their hands entwined.

"I know. I can see why you stayed here"

"That's not why I stayed here Lucas" Brooke said quietly

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I stayed here because I was hiding. Hiding from you, hiding from other people, hiding from the truth"

"The truth?"

"Yeah, that I actually wanted to be with you, and I messed up on the day I left."

"Brooke you didn't mess up, and you didn't need to hide from me. If anyone messed up, it was me doing what I did last year, and I'd do anything I could to take that back"

Brooke stared at the floor, not wanting to look Lucas in the eye.

"It's fine, really" she said, still keeping her eyes fixed on the floor, but Lucas tilted her chin up towards him with his thumb so that he could see her face.

"Brooke it's not fine, I hurt you, you trusted me and I wasn't there for you. But I'll always be there for you now, no matter what"

She shut her eyes to stop the tears from falling. She knew that he was sorry, and that he would do anything to make it up for her, but there was that small part of her that would never really forgive him, and that's what she didn't like.

"I forgive you, and I'm trying to trust you Luke, I really am, but there's always this doubt in the back of my mind that you might hurt me again."

They stopped walking and Lucas pulled Brooke in close to him, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her hair. She let a few tears fall, but quickly wiped them away before she thought Lucas had seen. He pulled away and smoothed the wet skin under her eyes with his thumb.

"I'm sorry I make you cry Brooke, I just want to make this better for you, and I thought that if we talked about it……"

He was interrupted by Brooke crashing her lips against his in a way that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"It's o.k" she whispered in between kisses.

"You sure?"

She nodded and Lucas took her hand again as they continued walking up the hill back to Brooke's.

By the time they got to the front door, they could hardly keep their hands off each other, their kissing breaking only momentarily while Brooke fumbled around in her bag for the door key, and then they continued, making their way upstairs to Brooke's room, loosing items of clothing as they did so.

They fell onto Brooke's bed, which she was happy to have a decent size, not like the one she had to have back in Tree Hill. Lucas stopped and looked into her eyes.

"Brooke, I didn't come here just for this, it just kinda……."

"It's o.k, I know" she said in her whisper voice that made Lucas's stomach flip.

"Are you o.k with this? We don't have to…"

"I want this Lucas" she whispered before kissing him again, undoing his belt with her hands as he did the same to her.

The rest of their clothes formed a pile on the floor by the bed. Brooke closed her eyes as Lucas started to kiss her body, making his way from her lips to the soft material of her lingerie. He smiled when he reached her tattoo, and traced it gently with his hand. Brooke knew why he had stopped kissing her, and she opened her eyes, staring at the tattoo on his arm, and she smiled again.

"Remember that night?" she said softly

"How could I forget?" he joked quietly before returning to her lips, kissing them softly, running his tongue over them as she pushed her body up towards him, unhooking the back of her bra with one hand.

Lucas took her bra away from her body, throwing it so that it landed on top of their other clothes. He started to kiss his way down her body again, letting his tongue run over every inch of her, remembering what he had missed all of this time.

Their bodies moved in sync with each other, their eyes locked in a loving gaze as they brought each other over the edge with pleasure.

"That was amazing" Brooke said as she collapsed onto Lucas's chest, sweaty and breathless. He kissed her hair and smoothed it with his fingers while absent-mindedly trailing his and up and down Brooke's stomach.

"I know" he whispered into her neck, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine.

They laid there silently for a few hours, just enjoying being back in each other's arms. Brooke looked at the clock which showed the time to be 11:20. Her naked body shivered in Lucas's arms and he pulled her closer to him, planting soft kisses along her collarbone. She giggled and sighed contentedly.

"Oh my God, you know what we should do?" Brooke exclaimed, practically jumping out of bed.

"I'm guessing that sleeping's not what you have in mind" Lucas groaned. He was enjoying just laying there with her, and now the bed was cold where she wasn't laying.

"No, well yeah. Well kind of"

"You wanna explain that?" Lucas laughed as he reached for his boxers before getting out of bed. Brooke had wrapped her dressing gown around her, but she was now eyeing up the grey hoody that had been thrown on the floor earlier. Lucas saw where she was looking.

"It's all yours" he said

"You're the best Broods!"

"Just don't call me Broods."

"Why not? It's kinda cute" she replied, letting her dressing gown fall to the floor, where Lucas was staring open-mouthed, and then pulling on the hoody, letting it fall off one of her shoulders. "and sexy" she added.

"That looks sexy" he replied, kissing Brooke softly, before pulling in his jeans that he had worn to the restaurant.

"Why thank you Broodylicious"

"Brooke, no"

"Ooh, I like that one. Broodylicious"

"It's like that song" Lucas groaned, knowing that she wasn't going to change her mind now.

"Yeah, I could be Bootylicious, and you're Broodylicious!" Brooke exclaimed, clapping her hands together in the way that she always did when she was excited.

"So where are we going?" Lucas asked "I'm sensing it's not out in public, otherwise you wouldn't be wearing that." Brooke raised her eyebrows and Lucas groaned.

"It's a surprise"

"Brooke, where are we going?"

"Lucas, if I tell you, it will ruin the surprise"

"In other words, if you tell me, I won't come"

"Got it in one my Broodylicious boyfriend, now come on!"

Brooke pulled Lucas down the road, both of them receiving stares from any cars that past them. Brooke was only wearing Lucas's hoody, and he was topless.

"I can't believe I actually came with you" Lucas half-whispered, half-shouted.

"You know you wanted to" Brooke giggled.

He was amazed at how she knew that. He really did want to go with her. Anything that Brooke had in mind was always fun, even if it was going to the mall. She made everything exciting.

"You gonna tell me where we're going?" Lucas asked as they turned the corner. Brooke shook her head.

"Nope"

"It's not the mall is it?"

"Broody even I wouldn't go to the mall dressed like this, although, maybe we should go there tomorrow. Good idea"

"Oh God" Lucas groaned, wishing he hadn't mentioned the mall. He didn't really mind going though. If he was with Brooke, then he didn't care where they went.

Brooke stopped when they had walked a few meters around the corner. Lucas looked up and saw a house which looked quite a lot like Brooke's, although not quite as big, and it didn't have a red door. In fact, Brooke's house was the only one he had seen with a red door. He liked that it was different.

She gave his hand a squeeze and then checked to see if anyone was looking. There were no lights on in the house, and the curtains of the house over the road were closed.

"Perfect" Brooke said softly, dragging Lucas around the side of the house, giggling.

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this, I should have guessed it was something like this." Lucas said as Brooke switched on the hot tub.

"You know you want to"

"I'll do anything with you"

"Cheesy, but sweet all the same" Brooke laughed before taking off the grey Hoody, revealing nothing underneath.

"Brooke! Couldn't you have put a bikini on or something?"

"What would be the fun in that? It just takes longer to get to the good part" she replied, raising her eyebrows at the end.

"Just get in before anyone sees you" Lucas said, standing behind her until she was covered by the water of the jacuzzi.

"Aww, look at my knight in shinning armour protecting me" Brooke giggled. Lucas squinted at her and then removed his clothes quickly before jumping into the Jacuzzi, splashing Brooke.

Lucas slid over so that he was right next to Brooke. She sat herself in his lap and rested her head against his chest, playing with the beads that Lucas was wearing-the ones she had given him when they first started dating. They were his reminder of how much he loved Brooke.

"Isn't that your house?" Lucas asked, pointing over the fence to the house which was stood a way from them, but nevertheless, it was still next door. Brooke giggled and nodded, kissing him on the cheek.

"So we are using next door's hot tub, even though you have one of your own? Brooke, that's not normal"

"When have I ever been normal? Besides, there's no fun in using your own tub"

They made out for a few minutes before Brooke decided to take things further.

"Brooke we can't do this in someone else's hot tub!"

"Broody, you've got to stop being so uptight, it's not good for you" she giggled, kissing him. He gave in and kissed her back as their bodies moved in sync with each other once again.

Lucas tried to get Brooke to quieten down as her moans became louder.

"Please don't stop" she moaned as she grasped the side of the tub, grinding her body against his. Lucas saw the look on her face and kissed her to quieten her down as he brought them both over the edge with pleasure.

"Oh my God" Brooke gasped as she collapsed against Lucas, her chest heaving up and down with every breath. She kissed him again and settled back against his chest where she had been so comfortable earlier on.

"I guess that was worth sneaking around" Lucas laughed as he saw the happy look on Brooke's face, the sparkle in her eye and her dimpled smile.

"Totally worth it"

"You think we should head back to yours?"

"Probably, before whoever lives here finds that there's some people in their hot tub" Brooke laughed, climbing off Lucas and stepping out of the tub, realising that they hadn't brought towels. Shrugging, she picked up Lucas's hoody and pulled it over her wet body, smiling as she handed Lucas his jeans. He pulled them on, grimacing as he felt the harsh material rub against him.

"Well that's both pairs of my jeans that are wet, so I don't know what I'm going to wear tomorrow" Lucas laughed. Brooke turned the Jacuzzi off and started to place the cover back over it when the house door opened and a light came on.

"Who's there?" A voice shouted from inside the house. "Leave or I'll call the police!"

Brooke and Lucas didn't hear the last part as they were busy running down the road as fast as they could. When they reached Brooke's house, she broke into a fit of giggles when she saw the look on Lucas's face.

"See that is why I don't break into people's back yards and use their hot tubs" he said, shutting the door quickly after Brooke had opened it.

"Admit it though, you had fun running away"

"How do you know me so well?"

"Everyone has that adrenaline rush when they're frightened"

"I wasn't frightened!"

"So what was that look on your face? Cos it sure as hell was happiness" Brooke laughed

"Fine! I was a little bit, only a tiny bit scared." Lucas replied. "Does that make you happy?"

"A little" she replied, remembering back to the night at the bar where she kicked Lucas's ass at pool.

"So we're done now? We can go to sleep" Brooke shook her head.

"That's not what I was planning for us to do"

"So when you jumped out of bed where I was all nice and comfy, you had no intention of borrowing next-door's hot tub?"

"Nope. That came to me in the process."

Lucas shook his head. "So what are we doing now?"

"When I first moved in here, I spent a whole night just looking out of the window at the view of the city, and I always thought that if I wasn't alone, I would spend a night outside just sleeping under the stars. But I was always alone, and I didn't feel safe, so I never did." Brooke swallowed. "Is that stupid?"

Lucas shut his eyes. She must have been so lonely here by herself all of this time. How could her parents just abandon her like this? They had promised that they would spend time together as a family.

"It's not stupid at all, it sounds perfect" he whispered, pulling her in for a hug.

"Are you sure, cos we don't have to if you'd rather sleep in a bed."

"No, I'd really like to do that"

"Great, well we need to get some pillows and duvets so that we're warm. Oh, and we need snacks!" Brooke exclaimed

"Snacks? Brooke it's almost midnight?"

"So? Ever heard of a midnight feast Broody?"

Lucas grinned and grabbed the duvet and pillows off of Brooke's bed as she went to get more covers and snacks from the kitchen.

"Meet ya outside in five" she shouted to him as Lucas went out the back door, carrying all of the things Brooke had dumped in the hallway for him to carry. He laid the covers down on the ground near the middle of the back yard, placing the pillows at the end so that they were facing away from the house. Lucas sat down on the edge of the covers waiting for Brooke to come out. He could see her through the window. She had a smile on her face, and she could see her standing in front of what looked like a microwave. He let out a little laugh when he saw her jump up and clap her hands at the microwave-she was obviously making popcorn.

Brooke came out of the house a few minutes later, dropping the latch so that nobody could break in. She shook the keys at him to signal that she hadn't locked them out. Lucas watched as she stopped at the fence and touched something. She stood back and after a few seconds, the top of the back yard was lit up by tiny fairy lights which made patterns on the water of the pool.

"You like?" she asked as she sat down beside him.

"It's beautiful Brooke"

"I did it one day when I was going to throw a party to get to know people, but then I decided that I didn't really want to party. It would have been just another place where I was known as Brooke Davis, the drunken slut ya know?"

Lucas didn't know what to say to that. That's what she was seen as a year ago at school, but she wasn't seen like that now, and certainly didn't see her like that.

"It's o.k, you don't have to say anything" she whispered "I didn't expect you to"

"Brooke, I don't see you like that, and I don't think many people do. They know you're better than that."

"Yeah, because you made me better than that."

"I didn't try and change you Brooke, I just wanted you to know that you were better than that….."

"Well I'm glad I'm not like that any more" Brooke smiled "Now eat up cos I think I made too much" she laughed, waving the bowl of popcorn in his face.

He took a piece and threw it at her, and Brooke reciprocated by getting a handful and stuffing it in Lucas's mouth until it was so full that he could hardly chew.

"Brooke!" he tried to say, spitting out a few pieces of popcorn in the process.

"What? You looked hungry"

"Maybe because you're wearing me out with all the sex. Twice in the space of a few hours Brooke. That's got to be a record, even for us" he laughed. Brooke smacked his chest playfully.

"I hope that's not a complaint"

"Never" he said, swallowing the popcorn and pulling her down to him, kissing her neck so that she moaned softly, closing her eyes at the feeling.

"You wanna increase it to three?" she mumbled into his lips as they laid down under the covers.

"If you do" he replied, not wanting to break the kiss between them.

"Definitely"

They made love under the stars, never once breaking eye contact until Brooke shut her eyes in ecstasy, breathing in the moment as Lucas kissed her softly on her lips, savouring the sweet taste while her body shuddered beneath his touch. They collapsed once again into each other's arms, their sweaty chests heaving, their eyes sparkling as Brooke opened hers and they looked at each other. A look of love.

It was late, but neither of them wanted to sleep. They didn't want to miss a single moment, because each minute was one they couldn't get back. They'd wasted enough time already.

"So do you like California?" Brooke asked, playing with Lucas's hand.

"Definitely" he grinned, pulling her even closer, if that was possible.

"Maybe we should do some sightseeing tomorrow"

"I'd rather do some sight seeing here with you"

Brooke grinned and kissed him, feeling like no matter how many times she did that, it would never be enough.

"Brooke, you know, I didn't come here with the intentions of doing this…….I was just worried about you and I wanted to make sure you were o.k" Lucas whispered to Brooke. He could see she was fighting to keep her eyes open, but they were starting to fill with tears.

"I know" she said softly "And thank you"

"For what?"

"For making sure I was o.k. I'm glad you came when you did"

"Well I'm glad I came when I did too." He replied "You weren't o.k were you?"

Brooke shook her head.

"I wasn't, but now I am"

"Good" he said, kissing her again "I'm sorry I left things like I did, I just wanted you to know how I felt. I didn't know if you were coming back, and I hoped it might make you stay. I didn't mean to make it harder for you"

"Lucas it's…….."

"No, don't say it's o.k, because I make things hard for you Brooke, and you don't deserve the kind of life you got. You should have had better."

Brooke nodded, biting her lip to stop herself from crying.

"I'm glad you told me how you felt Lucas, cos it would have been worse going to California thinking that you still liked Peyton, when I felt about you the way I did. I needed to know that you felt the same way, because I think it would have killed me wondering what you guys were doing while I was gone."

"Brooke, I wouldn't have ever done anything with Peyton. What happened last year…."

Lucas felt Brooke tense up and the sparkle in her eyes was replaced by a look of pain.

"It was a mistake and I don't have any feelings for her like what I feel for you."

Brooke sniffed and kissed Lucas. It was the only way she could convey what she was feeling.

"I've missed this" he said softly as she rested her head in the crook of his shoulder.

"Me too" she whispered back as he put his arm over her bare stomach, making it feel like it might burn under his touch.

"So are you enjoying sleeping under the stars?" Lucas asked

"Yes, and I couldn't think of anyone better to do it with"

They spent a few minutes trying to name some of the constellations in a competition, but after Lucas had picked out the five different ones, Brooke gave up, rolling her eyes and saying that since she hadn't read the book that he had learned this in, she couldn't be expected to know.

"So what made you decide to come find me?" Brooke asked, her eyes almost shutting.

"I was listening to a song, and I thought of you."

"Really?" Brooke asked "I was listening to a song too, and you were all I could think about.

"Which song?" asked Lucas, stroking her arms lightly with his fingers in a soothing way.

"Nobody wants to be lonely"

"I was listening to that exact same song." Lucas said softly, pulling her closer to him.

"It's true though isn't it?" she asked sleepily

"What is?"

"Nobody wants to be lonely. At least, I don't"

"Me neither. But if I couldn't have you, I'd rather be on my own"

They fell asleep together, their breathing even and their bodies exhausted, but happy. Lucas woke up once when he felt Broke stir, and he watched her sleeping for a while before kissing her and whispering that he loved her, and that he'd never stopped. He turned his body slowly so that he didn't wake Brooke, and then he rested back down again so that he could see her face with a 'that' smile on it.

"I never stopped loving you either" Brooke whispered, then snuggled into Lucas's chest, warming her naked body against his. They fell back to sleep at the same time, both knowing that things might now be alright, and that they didn't need to worry.

Hey guys, I was thinking about maybe doing another 2-parter to folow on from this one. What do you think? I'd base in in California-no drama.

Tell me what you want, or whether you think it would be a good idea.

Also, if you have anything in specific you would like me to write-certain story lines/specific genres please let me know. I love writing when people have given me a focus. also, I can write based around a song. (I only do Brucas though lol. Or either of those two on their own.)

Emily-Grace xxx


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